McDonald: Dirty Fire Trucks

The 3-alarm fire that razed a recycling center on Commerce Street Thursday afternoon tested the San Antonio Fire Department. It was not the biggest fire the department has ever fought nor was it the most dangerous, but it was a massive blaze that took about 90 minutes to get under control. And even firefighters get tired.

After dousing the blaze, crews spent an entire day standing around watching the piles of sodden cardboard and melted plastic smolder. It is a necessary job but rescuing kittens from trees is more exciting.

The crews worked in shifts, but with 96 firefighters responding to the blaze it was not long before dispatchers were calling the firefighter who first responded to the fire back to recycling plant. They were not greeted warmly.

Are you serious, one firefighter responded when the dispatcher called. We just got back and haven’t even cleaned our trucks yet. Can’t you get someone else?

That is all you have to say, the dispatcher told the tuckered firefighter before calling another station.